Blood and Silver
by Yewphoenix
Summary: Three years has passed since Zero and the Kurans parted ways. What will Zero do when nightmares from the past comes back to haunt him, and when certain feelings for a certain someone begins to change within him? awful summary i know XD
1. Back to where it started

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except maybe the plot in this story. All rights goes to the wonderful Matsuri Hino :)**

**Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a fanfic aaannd it's going to be eventual yaoi.**

**The story starts off from the ending of the second season of the anime. May go according to where the manga is headed or maybe not. ;)**

**Summary: Three years has passed since Yuuki and Kaname left Cross Academy. Zero (21), returns to the only place he can think up of to find solace from the constant nightmares of his childhood, that had started bothering him recently. What is he to do, when fate decides he is too interesting to be left alone, once again?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The night was still young. A small digital clock on the dust filled mantelpiece blinked 21:00 in red digits. Flashing lights of the lighthouse fifteen miles away occasionally illuminated the ancient ceiling, highlighting the numerous cobwebs filling up each and every inch of the ceiling. From his current position on the emperor sized bed, he could make out shadows from the specks of lights appearing and vanishing from ceiling and the wall.

Tonight, he felt he had aged a thousand times since yesterday.

He was that tired.

On top of all the sleepless nights he had endured the past couple of months, the journey back here was by no means, a pleasant task. It had taken him days, months even, to build up the courage to come back. Months and months of recollecting lost memories and never-ending nightmares.

Nightmares, he thought he had locked away for the best, in some deep dark recess of his mind.

The constant nightmares followed by silent screams with sweat filled twisting in his sheets had troubled him to such an extent, he had reluctantly thought, that this would be the most sensible option if he wanted to keep his sanity.

The place he wished for more than anything to forget, where the murder of two of the world's most powerful and accomplished Hunter 's took place. The same place where his eyes opened for the first time and where it closed, thirteen years later as a human. Back to where it all started.

Once, eight years ago, on a snowy night in December.

Possibly, his current nature playing a role here but he had always liked the dark. The nothingness of it appealed to his senses. Such dark had always consumed this place. The hallways, the suites, the entire mansion was something out of a horror storybook.

However, it was one of the most beautiful mansions, built around that time, eerie looking yet beautiful in a dark twisted way.

His whole family had loved the dark, except for his twin, Ichiru. The weak one, as labeled by everyone. Got scared at the little things and deeply despised the shadowy corridors of the mansion. The Kiryuu's often tried to sooth him and tell him to get used to it, even going as far to combine his and Ichiru's separate room's together due to Ichiru's habit of ending up in his own bed.

To this day, he hadn't been able to figure out how _She,_ could have managed to enter the Mansion without triggering the complex hunter charms the ancient place had existed from the time it was built. True, Ichiru had helped the woman, as he had found out later. But he alone could not have done it all when even his parents, had trouble removing certain gruesome charms from the place.

_So how?_

How could she have stepped inside? A creature that dominates the night and shrinks from daylight. Their nature to survive on blood.

Vampires.

The hunter twins had known about it at quite a young age, due to the dangerous lives their parents led. They had even taken training lessons from one of the top hunters in Japan, when it had happened.

Maybe, if they had been more alert that night! If only they hadn't consumed that wine Ichiru had spiked them with to limit their hunter senses.

_If only._

Zero Kiryuu, faintly remembered their faces. His parents faces. Anything associated with that horror years ago, he had tried to deliberately forget, including their faces. Though, in the past three years he had managed to catch glimpses of them more often than before.

Way back when, the ruby wind chime tinkled and snow was at its deepest and the fire lived forever, he remembered. Vague images, blurs, reminiscences, as if he was an aged man already, remembering from a long time ago.

The lazy snow filled cold nights, sleeping inside the 100 year old oak bedroom, it's beautiful white walls decorated with children's fictional superheroes to give a more homely touch to its inhabitants. The king sized bed in the middle, richly spoiled with silk sheets. The room's scent, the smell of Lavender.

As if on cue, the faint scent fills his nostrils. Only, he knew.

This was not at present. He was in the past.

A woman with light brown-blonde hair, and unique eyes. The rich colour of the Amazon forest. A deep emerald.

Her name, Nana.

Greenery. A fitting name for his mother.

Yes. She had liked lavenders. Even more than her husband, she would joke, saying it reminded her of some very important people. Of her two beloved sons.

He would roll his eyes at that and Ichiru would grin and hug her, burrowing into her light brunette strands. Then it would be his turn to hug her. But before that, he would look at the greenest of green he had ever laid eyes on, forest like so deep, the black specs inside creating the perfect shadows within the forest green eyes.

Deep emerald would meet lilac. The fire inside them, mesmerizing. And then, those forests would disappear and reappear as she blinks. The corner of her eyes would crinkle as he snaps out of the trance like state. Her lips, would slowly stretch up to match the crinkling of the eyes. Followed by the knowing look and her enigmatic smile which always made him blush and look somewhere else.

And then he would feel it. Soft, delicate fingers, combing through his silky silver strands; courtesy from his Father's side of the family. They would start with his fringe, slowly stroking back the strands that covered his lavender iris's and tuck the longer strands behind his ear. Her fingers would run through the rest of the strands until he looked back at her. And he would look again, back into those hypnotic eyes, until he too, comes in contact with silky straight brown hair and the distinct whiff of lime.

Finally, she would tuck them in, followed by a bedtime story and when Ichiru drifts off to sleep, she would make her way out. A candle would be lit, leaving him in the mysterious yet comforting dark illuminated with little light from the burning candle, to his thoughts about the ongoing training sessions with Yagari-Sensei.

Except, before she closed the door, she would turn back, the corridors light illuminating her profile, one of those green gems staring at her first born, and murmur a string of words.

The words, he tried for so long to find out, but never did. From such distance, it wasn't easy to make out what she says and so, he would give up trying to read her lips and continue staring.

Little did he know, his mother whispered an incantation in their ancestor's language.

An age old forbidden hunter charm, to protect the first born of hunter twins. Followed by a promise.

"_I'll also show you a sweet dream next night, Zero."_

Until, on the eve of 20th December, it slipped Nana's mind to do so.

* * *

Reviews and Suggestions, please!:)


	2. And so it begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zero nor Kaname as much as i hope to :/ They all belong to the genius, Matsuri Hino. Also this will be eventual yaoi and the colourful usage of words in this chapter will change the rating to ****an ****M.**

**A/N. okayyyy, so here's chapter two. I suggest you guys listen to the song **_**Seven Devils - Florence and the Machine **_**when you come across the fifth break line [ ~~~.~~~]. It sounded amazing in my head. XD **

Oh and guys, i will always be re-reading my chapters and constantly trying to correct grammatical errors, or spellings or even stuff which doesn't make sense in the fic. So all chapters will have small changes whenever your read them, sorry for this ;.; But there is this problem that whenever i upload a chapter to the site, there are tons of spelling mistakes and deleted words which I'm positive wasn't there when i typed it. And i do check this and correct a hundred times, but still some words are dropped out when i publish the chapter. Anyway, I'm extremely sorry for such errors, as i myself know it's so frustrating to read a fic with tons of mistakes in it. :) Which is why i will be re-reading and correcting all chapters monthly or something.

"dialogues"

_thoughts_

_*_sounds*

**after the fifth ~~~.~~~, some parts of the text will be in italics, but they aren't thoughts...it's just for that part :)**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

"_**I am a little teapot**_

_**short and stout "**_

_The girl with the short reddish brown hair cheerfully sang out of tune to the nursery rhyme, coming from the little radio perched on the kitchen table._

"_**here is my handle,**_

_**here is my spout"**_

_Her right hand went to her hip, and her other arm went into the air, elbows out and the wrist bent.  
_  
"_**when the water's boiling**_

_**hear me shout,**_

_**tip me over,**_

_**and pour me out "**_

_Maintaining the pose she bents sideways, eyes twinkling, and straightened up just as the rhyme ended, the radio announcer came back on. Her hands reached up to cover her mouth as she erupted into a fit of giggles, finally giving into peals of laughter._

_Zero felt his cool demeanor crumble at once, to the most melodic sound he had heard ever since coming to Cross Academy. Against his will, he found himself contagious to her laughter and emitted an honest chuckle._

_At once, the short girl stopped what she was doing._

***Click***

"what the-?"

_Zero glared at the girl. The Polaroid camera was safely held onto as she slowly inched towards the door on the right, which lead to the compounds. She looked half scared and half amused, obviously ready for what was to come next._

_**Three..**_

_She did not just.._

_**Two..**_

_Oh, But she did._

_**One.**_

_Zero jumped high over the table, landing gracefully beside the young girl, who gave a loud shriek and dashed off on to the compound; Zero not too far behind._

"DELETE IT YOU SILLY GIRL!" _he called out to her._

_The girl who kn__e__w her way around the grounds, screamed a childish NO and increased her speed at running, hair floating behind her in the wind. Zero uttered a low __growl, heavily __panting, tr__ying __to catch __up __with __her._

"Gi-ve it – h- here…Yuuki"_ he gasped loudly, stopping and crouching to his knees, clutching his sides from the stitch he just got from the unexpected running. Yu__u__ki, who w__as__ a few meters ahead stopped __immediately._

_Zero half crouching stood transfixed, as the girl turned around to face him. The setting sun behind, illuminated the red streaks in her chocolate coloured hair, eyes filled with worry and a certain gentleness directed towards him, met his eyes. _

_The eldest Kiryuu gulped, drinking in the hypnotic sight before him. _

_And in that moment, he knew._

_He knew he had found life's purpose, once again._

_~~~.~~~_

Lilac eyes snapped wide open, the golden rays of the early morning sun blinding his vision, but the hunter kept still. Unblinking, he stared up at the neglected ceiling above, trying to recall what he had been dreaming about. One thing was clear. It _definitely_ wasn't one of the nightmares he was so accustomed to having. He knew, because he was used to waking up drenched in a cold sweat, heart ready to jump out of his chest with scratches all over his body; something which hadn't happened today.

_I'm almost sure there was a lot of running going around..and I was most definitely laughing, which was very strange. A girl with brown hair..._

Zero frowned. There were so many girls with brown hair whom he had met over the years. Which one decided to pop up in his dream? And more importantly, he was _**chuckling**_?! He hadn't found anything to chuckle about in years.

_Unless._

With a jolt, the dream came rushing back to him.

_I dreamt about **her**?!_

It had been ages since he had a dream about the girl – _no, __**woman**_. Something, which he wanted to keep that way. It was too complicated where they stood now, ever since their "parting" three years ago. A sudden pang of sorrow invaded him at the memory.

_Forget it, Kiryuu. Forget her._

The event in the dream had happened just after a year from his shift into Cross Academy. They were both fourteen at that time. He had been in a sour mood all day for some reason, when she had cheered him up with that silly song and dance. After which he knew, that she would be the only woman he would allow, to have a special place in his heart.

The real question was, why did he dream of that particular day, instead of the usual horror? Of course, he had hoped that they might stop if he came back here. Only, he hadn't expected it to happen this soon.

_Does this mean there won't be any more nightmares? If so, then I need not dig deep into what should remain undisturbed._

Better not jump into conclusions too soon, he figured.

_Dammit! I thought I vowed myself to never dream about her._

It was no top secret to anyone who came in contact with the only known Kiryuu left, that he simply did not take kindly to anyone who mentioned the girl and her brother, in his presence. People generally avoided talking about them most of the time unless, it was absolutely_ inevitable _to do so.

_Nice to know for once, they know what's good for them. Ichiru would be prou-_

His chest tightened. Thinking about Ichiru was another thing he should keep his mind away from. It hurt too bloody much to think about him.

He had relished their last moments together, forgiving Ichiru instantly for his sins, even though he knew his parents death and his turning had Ichiru's hand in them. Even now, Zero believed his twin innocent. After all, his twin had wanted nothing more than to be accepted as who he was. Something, his parents and the outside world hasn't exactly made easy for him.

_Who else, do I have to call my own? Who should I give my forgiveness, my compassion, anything which I have been left with after that night to,except for ichiru? _He had thought that night in the cell.

_And then I devoured my very own younger brother._

A gentle breeze drifted inside the room through the open windows, causing the young man on the bed to snap out of his troubling thoughts and shiver. He was after all, only in pajama bottoms. Shifting his eyes from the ceiling above to the open windows, he took in the sight outside.

The sky outside was the clearest of blues, decked in tiny specs of white clouds. Even with the sun shining down merrily, he could tell from the gentle breeze that occasionally swept into the room, that it was going to be a cool day. A fine day to explore his home town without thinking too much. Relax for sometime, have a sort of holiday, if he could call it that.

*Grrr*

With a jerk, the ex human looked down at his grumbling stomach.

"Alright..alright!" the hunter groaned, getting up from the bed, muscles screaming from the position he had slept in for too long. Stretching his arms over head and rolling his shoulders, he climbed into his boots and started walking towards his backpack, which sat neatly at the foot of the main doors to the room. Crouching down, he zipped the bag open to take out his attire for the day. A towel, fresh underwear followed by a plain white cotton tee and a Grey knee length casual short pant was spread out onto the bed in a minute. A couple of seconds later, a toiletries bag joined them. Zipping the bag close, Zero stood up glancing at the mantelpiece, from where the clock read "09:12" in red letters.

All of a sudden, he felt something moving on his right hand, and looked down to see a tiny spider trying to make it's way up his arm. He gave a shake, and the spider dropped to the carpet beneath, skittering away from the intruder to it's beloved home. Zero frowned.

The entire mansion was full of insects and what not. He had inspected the mansion as soon as he entered the manor, immediately deciding that the manor needed re-innovation if he was going to live here. It would take a decade to clean up the place, he was sure. Not only was it the mansion he had to clean up, but the entire garden surrounding the huge manor was to be fixed as well. Weeds had grown overtime around the manor, so high, it made contact with the hunter's waist when he walked last night,where he had glimpsed a beautiful bubbling deep stream just behind the mansion.

The hunter exhaled loudly.

His belly rumbled once again, this time much louder.

Well. He was damned if he was going to start cleaning up this mess without satisfying his appetite first. It was a beautiful day to spend outside and that's exactly what he'll do for now. Walking towards the bed, he piled up all items onto his hands and walked out of the master bedroom's double doors, into the magnificent hallway ahead.

"I have _got_ to be the luckiest bastard to own a mansion while being almost broke.." the tall man muttered grimly. The mansion _was_, technically under Mr and Mrs. Kiryuu's name but as soon as they passed away, the mansion went into the possession of the Hunter's Association till the couple's children came of age to inherit it. Now that the only Kiryuu alive is -_to his knowledge__-_Zero, he had gotten the ownership of the mansion. Something which he hadn't been that happy about.

But, like he said. No one almost broke, owned a mansion.

_And if they did, a normal person would sell it or rent it and live their life. _

_And we all know I'm far from normal._

He continued to walk past a dozen or more guestrooms, making no noise as the entire mansion was padded richly with carpet. Finally reaching the end of the hallway, he stopped. Lilac eyes took in the grand spiral marble staircase, descending down onto the main entrance hall. The entrance doors stood a few feet ahead, extremely wide and twelve feet high rising up to touch the ceiling from which the paint had faded. The entire mansion looked just as he remembered. Neglected, sure, but just the same. Mercifully, the damage from ___that _night was nowhere in sight, he assumed the Hunter's Association cleaned up the mess quite well that night.

Faint memories slowly tried to make it's way into his mind. But he shoved them quickly into the back of his mind while coming down the flight of steps in a leisurely manner. Halting at the last step, he took a deep breath and exhaled.

_Where in the name of God am I going to take a bath?_

Inside and out the mansion was plain filthy. He had somehow managed to clean out the bed in which he slept last night to a decent level but there is no way he would ever take a shower in a filthy bathroom. Still wondering how to freshen about, he strode down the last step and stopped in the middle of the hall.

_Wait a minute. _

_The stream! I could freshen up in the stream!_

Imagining the blissful fresh water cleansing his dirty body as he dips into the stream, Zero grinned.

_Perfect._

~~~.~~~

The sun shone brightly down onto the grounds below revealing more than what his night vision has shown him the previous night. It looked as if the mansion was situated right next to a wild forest. The bubbling stream which ran a long way into and out of his property, made the scene even more beautiful. He even caught a glimpse of two rabbits hopping around beneath a huge boulder situated to the left. Long weeds swished back and forth with the cool breeze along with the leaves of the trees that had grown over various parts of the compound; the largest tree situated just near the bubbling stream ahead. Zero squinted his eyes against the Sun's rays and looked ahead.

By the stream stood a Weeping Willow, wide and over twenty meters tall. Curtains of drooping branches with small, green-narrow leaves cascaded the grassy ground beneath. Some of it's branches fell into the stream, gently swishing back and forth with an occasional breeze and the mild waves of the water. The whole scene looked straight out of a children's storybook.

In seconds, he was under the blessed shade of the weeping willow. He didn't mind the sun _that much. _True, they were extremely sensitive to it, but it never caused them too much harm contrary to some popular myths such as instant death. Even so, most of _them_ including Zero, preferred the company of the moon to the sun. The willow by the stream was the perfect place for a vampire such as himself to take a bath without being in the sun for too long.

Eyes scanned the new environment to make sure he was all alone and in no danger. Satisfied, he kept down his belongings on a neat patch of grass, taking out his shower items and _Bloody Rose_ from the toiletries bag

_Better safe than sorr__y after all.._

Busying himself with his daily morning routine, he moved onto the edge of the bubbling water while brushing his teeth, catching a glimpse of himself in the water below.

Gone, was the seventeen year old Zero Kiryuu's skinny and unnaturally pale body. Rather, here stood a five foot eleven inches tall, athletic young man. His trademark silver hair, incredibly messy from the night before, had crawled itself further away from it's usual length; strands barely touching his collarbones now.

_Who could be bothered to cut their hair when they had to worry about things like constant nightmares and lack of sleep?_

The medium length hair had one perk though. It hid the hunter seal on the left side of his neck from ogling strangers, something which he had been extremely grateful for. However, the long strands made him look so much like Ichiru, some people had even mistaken him for his twin brother. People who hadn't heard about his death yet. Which is the main reason why he needed a haircut badly.

Moving over to a grassy patch nearby, he washed his mouth free of the foam, enjoying the gentle wind on his exposed back. Dropping his items where it belonged, he took his lime scented toiletries and pulled down his white pajama bottoms, revealing long tanned legs. He wouldn't lie. He knew he had grown a couple inches over the past years.

His tanned and hairless upper body was slender, highlighting faint traces of well defined abs. His once long legs, had drawn-out much more and made it seem to appear to the roaming eye, as if they would never end at all. Firm and smooth skin attached itself onto the Hunter's tanned legs and arms, the faint appearance of light brown hair visible in daylight.

Stepping over the stripped piece of cloth, he walked over to the stream edge once again, picking up Bloody Rose and the towel along the way. Stopping at the edge, he put down his belongings near a swaying willow branch and slowly stepped into the icy cold crisp water beneath, walking a couple of steps forward and finally sinking into the relaxing body of water.

_When was the last time I felt this relaxed? How can the place which gave me such misery, give me this too ?_

His eyes gently drifted shut. Against his will, he felt himself go limp. It was as if a switch had gone off in his body. The tenseness which occupied him wherever he went slowly ebbed away into nonexistence. Arms and legs wide open, he floated gently atop the cool water and shade of the beautiful tree. Even the bubbling water beneath, seemed to have slowed down to flow lazily to accompany the floating young man's current state. The distinct noises of crickets and various animals too, appeared to have ceased. It was a serene quiet which surrounded him. It was the definition of harmony. Of peace.

_A sinner and his short-lived peace. _

_~~~.~~~_

Zero didn't know how long he stayed that way. Didn't realise when he had drifted off into a doze. And when he finally blinked his eyes open, it was to feel a pair of watchful eyes on him. The naked vampire leaped to his feet gracefully, going back on land to try to locate the trespasser with his enhanced vision and hearing, the tenseness which he seemed to let go earlier, coming back in full force at once.

_How long have I been sleeping like a bloody infant?!In water, nonetheless!_

He wanted to punch himself in the face.

Who in their right mind fell into a doze when floating on water in the woods? He considered the place basically woods because there was no way else to describe the place. The eerie quiet that had settled wasn't the calming quiet he had come across earlier. There was no wind at all now. Still searching out for the intruder, he let his senses guide him to whatever or whoever was lurking around _his property, _before stopping at the center of the trees in front of the stream.

_Whoa!_

He was s_o very sure _there was a pair of greyish-blue eyes looking at him from _inside_ the dark woods ahead. The trouble, however was, he couldn't sense any human or supernatural being around. Was his senses losing their touch? It was too dark inside the trees to focus on one exact spot for long.

The eyes blinked once and disappeared.

Could it have been an animal? But there were so many of them around, he couldn't pinpoint exactly which animal was staring at him. As sudden as the feeling came, it was gone. He no longer felt the intense feeling of being under a microscope. All was back to normal once again. The birds and the crickets went back to making their usual racket and the gentle wind returned back once again.

It was when the rabbits started hopping closer to take a curious look at him, when he finally moved from his position. Not wanting to stay any longer in case _it _came back, the disturbed hunter took a quick yet effective bath. After dipping himself well in the water, making sure all the foam was gone and he felt clean, he dried himself hurriedly with the towel.

Putting on his fresh underwear followed by the Grey knee length casual short pants, he pulled the soft cotton t-shirt over his head, messing up the dewy silvery strands in the process. He folded the discarded pajama bottoms and towel, clipping_ Bloody Rose_ to the loops of his pants and zipped the little bag close with all the items put safely inside except his sunglasses which he wore instantly. All set to go inside the comfort of his current residence, he swept the grounds one final time to try to sense for the previous intruder. When nothing came up, he gave a nonchalant shrug and with all his belongings, speed ran into the mansion.

~~~.~~~

"I don't even know what time it is now!" Zero groaned out loud as soon as he got into the main hall. Dumping his belongings into an untidy pile near the stairs, the hunter started up the marble staircase in a haste manner.

Suddenly, his senses screamed at him to become alert, his consciousness barely registered the unwanted presence of intruders when, in the blink of an eye, he had taken hold of a pale delicate neck. The sunglasses discarded, the once lilac irises turned crimson red and a pair of sharp fangs protruded, bared at the victim threateningly. A low hiss escaped the vampire/vampire hunter's lips. A demonic glint in the eyes, he sniffed the air surrounding the pale neck.

Human. The enticing smell of humans. _Foolish foolish humans_ to come wandering so carelessly into dangerous territory. He heard the rush of blood beneath the pale skin. Felt each and every twist and turn of the crimson liquid flowing through the veins. Could almost taste it. So close. So fucking close.

Just a little nip in the right spot and all that coppery goodness will be his to take.

"You are a _fool _to find me, _Chairman._" the soft voice of the ex human spoke into the eerie silence. For trapped between the wall and the vampire, was none other than the Cross Academy's Headmaster _Kaien Cross._

The dangerous grip on the Chairman's pale neck broke loose, where two sets of angry hand prints remained etched into the skin. The man with the straw coloured hair looked through hazel-orange eyes, at the retreating back of his adopted son up the stairs. Hair up in a pony tail, wearing a green coat, Headmaster Cross remained the same ageless adult in his mid thirties. The man took a step forward, uttering a sentence which made Zero halt on the staircase.

"I have got two hundred years over you boy, do not run from me."

~~~.~~~

A couple of seconds passed.

A minute passed.

Both remained still, In the same positions. Kaien Cross facing the back of his beloved boy and Zero Kiryuu turned away from his father figure. Very slowly, as if he was a winded doll, Zero turned around to face the man standing calmly in the middle of the hall, his expression blank. He sensed more aura's, more human aura's closing in on the scene. Casting a bored look behind, he met the cool blue eye of Toga Yagari, his former Sensei. He too, looked the same, with his wavy jet black hair and right side eye-patch; a cigarette held between his fingers. He gave Zero a cool look, merely puffing out the cigarette smoke from his nostrils. Snapping his eyes to the right side of the entrance, Zero noticed three hunters emerging from shadowy corners to stand before him. They all had blank expressions. From their appearance, it looked as if they were only in their teens.

_So they have resolved to employing under age minors I see.._

To his left side, by the boarded up window panels, five more hunters emerged. All women hunters.

Zero was impressed. And they even looked in their mid thirties.

Their faces too, remained impassive. Zero stood in the middle of the spiral marble staircase looking down at the faces below him, becoming aware of more than just the ten hunters inside. Hell. He felt an entire army of vampire hunters situated outside his property, blocking every possible way of exit from the said place.

Zero met the hazel eyes of the oldest and most powerful vampire hunter that existed in the entire world. The corner of his lips moved up to form a smirk. A crazy glint ignited in his eyes, heightening the perfection of the Kiryuu features. He felt, some of the young hunter's facades dissolve; a sting of pleasure running through him.

"_Come to kill the devil...**Father**?" a soft whisper drifted into the thin air surrounding them. As quiet as it was, the whisper floated into the ears of each and everyone present inside the hall. The experienced hunter's stood their ground, courageous, fearless; their faces concealing the disgust for the creature before them. One of the minor's started trembling slightly. The other two, naive yet foolishly brave, stood their ground, something which Zero admired them greatly for. _

_Kaien Cross kept his serene compose, annoyed Zero resolved to his stubborn scare-everyone method._

"_Don't be silly child, you know what i'm here for..." Cross said in a quiet voice. It unnerved him, the way Zero's behaving now, the way he looked now. As if there was no humanity left in him at all._

_Toga Yagari gave a loud sigh. Zero stood his ground, still smirking in the most unsettling way, when he felt Yagari walk down the steps to stand behind him. Taking a long drag from his cigarette, the hunter bent down in a lazy manner close to his right ear, a huge whiff of smoke coming out of his mouth as he murmured to the vampire._

"_Accept it, you stubborn little brat.." _

_The ex human replied just as soon. "No."_

_He had to get out from the place. He had to get out NOW! Before these twisted assholes capture him. What was he thinking, coming back HERE, of all places? This was where it all began. No wonder, they would have kept a close watch on any strangers coming newly into town. He bet even the cab driver who drove him here last night, was involved with them. _

_The old headmaster maintained his gaze on the boy's face. _

_Oh, he would give the boy credit alright. _

_He really does quiet a good job at hiding his emotions from everyone. However, the boy forgets one thing too easily. _

_Kaien Cross had once been his father. _

_He had watched over his son for five years. _

_People thought it funny when he mentioned that. How could a father know his son in only five years? But Kaien knew he was no ordinary man by now. His ageless features, his lengthy life was already proof of that. So why should it be a surprise, to anyone, that he had learned every possible detail about his son in less than five years? One of them was that his boy, Zero, could not hide anything from him. The boy thought he did. But he was so very wrong. Even now, Kaien saw the slight panic enter his unique eyes through the fine mask he had created. He knew exactly what the boy was thinking of doing...he even knew the words that would come out of the stubborn Kiryuu boy. And so he spoke loud and clear, the message that was relayed to him to deliver to the boy before him. For, he would always be a boy to Kaien Cross. _

"_**Zero Kiryuu, the sole heir of the Vampire Hunting Kiryuu clan, is**__** hereby declared the official President of the ****global**** Vampire Hunter****'s**** Association, ****winning by majority in a fair and ethical election ****held as of yesterday****. You are expected to return to the Headquarters as soon as possible to acknowledge your ****rightful**** position and perform your duty towards the Association by taking part in the crowning ceremony held three days from no****w at the strike of midnight. We ****await your presence****, Kiryuu****-****Daitōryō****"**_

_With that, the ex President of the Vampire Hunter's Association gracefully knelt down on one knee, bowing down to the chosen -no destined Head of the Hunter's Association, the remaining hunters in the hall copying the respected man's gesture. Yagari Toga, in his cool demeanor, threw the still lightened cigarette to his right, on the ground beneath, following Kaien and everyone else._

***BANG***

_The entire mansion's walls erupted into golden flames. The four walls surrounding had caught fire. The flames licking higher and higher up the walls..the entrance door's made up of oak wood dissolved into the flames, and made a huge opening through the mansion. Sunlight jubilantly streamed inside shining away into the un-moving inhabitants within the burning property. Through the blinding light, the eldest Kiryuu saw a hundred or more figures, bent down in the same position to honor their new Ruler. _

_The flames rose higher and higher, almost touching the ceiling, the entire hall slowly filled with smoke but no one moved. They were seconds to being eaten away by the flames. The lone person standing still on the staircase looked ahead, ignoring the humans and the roaring fire embracing his recently acquired home. Lilac eyes, tranquil and unreadable gazed at the scene before him. Trademark silver strands gently moved with the wind that blew inside the fiery place, his lips speaking out the words summing up the state of his mind, in a hollow voice. _

"_And so it begins."_

* * *

**Daitōryō means President in japanese.**

Woohoo! A second chapter!_:) _How was it guys?

Thank you to all those who started following this fic and reviewed it XD

More Reviews and Suggestions please! Oh! And would anyone be willing enough to draw me a cover picture for this fic?:) if anyone's interested please let me know. i love you all ^U^


	3. Complications of an unstable mind

Disclaimer: I do not own these delicious supernatural beings as much as i want to. They belong to the lucky Matsuri Hino.

Warning: Language and slight smut.

A/N: Well, here goes another chapter.

Guys, this will be a slow moving story okay?! (Meaning Kaname and Zero won't jump into bed in the tenth chapter or something *o* however much as we want them to.) Also, im really sorry if there are any grammar spelling/weird errors. I try my very best to proof read it a couple of times before publishing. Even then , sometimes the words are missing in some places and it frustrates me to no end D:. So i will always be re-reading and re uploading chapters till the end of the fic. Please bear with me on this :).

Also, there will be an introduction to my very own character in this one.

And a bit of smut.

And a mentally unstable Zero.

... /hides

**Also, if you want some background music, please do listen to the piano piece "River flows in you" by Yiruma. **

** Enjoy!:)**

* * *

_**Two hours later...**_

The newly elected President of the Hunter's Association, sat huddled in a shadowy corner of his hometown's popular café, _Spill._

A relaxing little coffeehouse situated right at the heart of the town.

The afternoon sun glowered brighter than ever, bringing in more customers than usual, to seek relief from the intense heat that had fallen on to town all of a sudden. None of them seem to have noticed the cause of the heat or the fiery demise of the age-old Kiryuu Mansion that had served the townspeople as their all time favourite horror entertainment.

"So you see Zero-kun, it is the perfect cover story. The mayor will inform the people tonight about the mansion, how it had been burnt in a fire mysteriously" Kaien Cross, went on in a bright tone, inside the relaxing air-conditioned atmosphere.

Zero sat, face concealed from the hooded jacket he wore, in the dim corner of a personal booth they were both sharing, not at all paying attention to their conversation. His face stoic, ever since he was forcefully removed from the flames by a tense Toga Yagari.

His mind drifted back to the brief events that took place after the announcement.

_**/flashback/**_

_He stared at the hot fire that engulfed the whole mansion, effectively burning it to the ground. Lilac irises dazed and distant took in the scene, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. __He watched as his parents final gift got destroyed in the fire, cleverly set up by the hunters._

"_You wouldn't have come otherwise, Kiryuu." was the quiet answer to his voiceless question by his Sensei as he dragged the vampire a safe distance from the burning property. The cool-headed hunter let go of his former pupil to order the other hunters directions, regarding the disposal of the waste._

_He ignored the itchy feeling of the sun on his skin as he stood transfixed, as the mansion collapsed onto the ground with a last heavy shake. Memories, he had locked away for so long burst out free, flashing by his eyes, draining him of the very peace he had acquired moments ago._

"_**Hmm...i wonder where my two little knights are..Not under the bed. **__**Not in the closet...where could they have gone?!" she called out loud in a sing-song voice.**_

_His breathing became rapid. Eyes open wide, he felt ice-cold despite the fiery environment surrounding him._

"_**You should come out now Zero, Ichiru. Mama is late for the party already.." Nana's voice tinged with a bit of worry sang out loud for her sons to hear.**_

_The hundred or so hunters worked about, trying to extinguish the fire to clear out the ruins as soon as possible. One of the minors Zero had seen earlier called out to his mate._

"_Hurry up, Joseph! You know we have to clear out the mess before anyone notices. Thank God, Yagari Sensei has put the charms to hide the scene from the townspeople."_

_Zero's head turned mechanically towards the voice, the heavy sounds of the Hunters waste disposal trucks, deafening his ears. He stared wide-eyed, the words slowly registering in his mind. _

_The minor caught the stare of his President and blushed a deep red, choking on his own saliva and muttered a short apology._

"_**Children! We don't have time for this. Hurry up and come out." his father's upset voice spoke out loud, making Nana frown at his tone.**_

_**The two twelve-year old's, who had hidden inside the bathroom, stopped their giggling at once. Worried they had upset their parents, they came quietly in to the room, guiltily stopping in front of Mr. and Mrs. Kiryuu. **_

"_**Honey, they were just playing." Nana muttered in a displeased tone.**_

"_**They shouldn't be out of their beds late. You know what Cross told us. After hunting her lov-" **_

"_**Ssh! Not in front of the kids, Ren." Nana hurriedly hushed her husband. But Zero had heard it all too well. A vampire was troubling them. **_

_**It was always a Vampire.**_

_**His father, Ren Kiryuu looked strictly at his two little boys before enveloping them in a bone crushing hug, making the two squeal with laughter along with Nana.**_

_Zero blinked. The memory was gone to be replaced with another. _

"_**Shizuka Hio. Her lover. We killed her lover, Nana! You aren't worried enough. I have told you day and night, to come away with the kids, to leave this bloody town and keep our children safe!" the angry voice of Ren Kiryuu reached Zero's ears as he poured water into the empty jug to take up to their room.**_

"_**How dare you Ren?! How dare you imply I do not care for my children! My family has always been my top priority, unlike that mother of yours! She just wants to take the kids and you away from me! Don't you see?! She doesn't want me to go with you. Besides, running away doesn't solve anything! What makes you think she won't come to France looking for us?!" the equally furious words of Nana drifted in through the sitting room into the kitchenette. **_

"_**My mother is an old witch, I know. But she would never wish for you to be killed Nana. Please. I'm begging you! Ichiru is ill as it is. I don't want..I can't...my children..and you..if something happen- " Ren's voice broke and Zero heard the hurried shuffle of his mother's footsteps.**_

"_**Ohh Ren, I know, love. I'm sorry. I just,need time to think okay?Just let me break the news to Zero. He will be miserable, Ren. He will miss Toga a lot. We are almost never home and he will feel as id he is losing his father you know?! Ichiru loves your mother. Zero hates her. The change wouldn't be at all good for him." Nana comforted her troubled husband. **_

_**Zero stood frozen, empty jug in his hand, parts of the conversation sinking in slowly.**_

_**If only he had focused on the important parts of that conversation instead of about moving to France, to his hateful grandmother! **_

_**If only...**_

_Zero staggered back when a hunter stumbled onto him while carrying a burnt chunk of the entrance door. A humble apology and the hunter went on his busy way. The ex human felt himself slowly losing the ability to stand on his feet. _

_If he broke down now, it would be chaos!_

_He wouldn't allow himself to show weakness to these people who had just made him their leader._

_Dark thoughts swirled around his hazy mind._

_This was all a plot to destroy him. The election. Him becoming President. Hunters burning down his last hope...his last hope for answers._

_He was positive._

_These people had another thing planned out for him. Something worse than death. He knew. _

_He was a Vampire for fuck's sake! The first vampire President to a bloodthirsty bunch of hunters who, like him, hated vampires!_

_Now, this is one fucked up situation he couldn't run from._

_So what will he do if he can't run away from it?_

_Run into it, of course._

_In his unbalanced state, the silver-haired hunter started strolling towards the burning building at a relaxing pace. No one noticed the President's actions, everyone too busy in their assigned work. His lazy stroll turned into a speedy run._

_**The vampire was cradling her. **_

_**Mother?**_

_**He called out faintly in his bloodied state.**_

_**"WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?! WHAT MORE? YOU HAVE KILLED MY HUSBAND!YOU HAVE KILLED MY SON. YOU TOOK AWAY ICHIRU!" **_

_**Nana's voice deafened his ears. He laid on the spot, staring at the lifeless body of his Father a couple of meters away from him.**_

_**In a quiet voice his mother spoke again.**_

_**" At least i will die being a wife and a mother, Shizuka Hio. You, however. You will roam the earth for eternity,mad and unloved by anyone. No children to call your own. No honest man willing to stay by your side.."**_

_**Time froze as Nana's words echoed inside the room. **_

_**Crimson eyes met his own. **_

_**Red. Everything was red.**_

_**Long Silver hair splattered with red, kimono ruined with red, face speckled with red, lips…dripping in red. Bloodied lips lazily forming to a cold smile. **_

_**Red. Red. Red. **_

_**Nana called out to her son.**_

"_**Kowagatte wa ikenai, Zero"**_

_***SNAP***_

_**Nana's neck twisted into an odd angle.**_

_**A soft eerie laughter filled the cold night air.**_

_Strong hands grabbed him, swiftly pulling the vampire onto a muscular shoulder. In a couple of seconds, he was dropped forcefully onto the ground, behind a huge tree which covered them effectively from watchful eyes. __Zero thrashed about, wide-eyed and breathless trying to escape from the iron hold of his rescuer._

_His lips parted wide open to scream bloody murder when he felt the sudden weight of a huge boulder on top of him. Hands pinned to his sides, too surprised from the sudden weight, he looked wide-eyed at his rescuer for the first time. _

_Toga Yagari was straddling him, much like one would do to a horse. His icy blue eyes narrowed to two slits, all traces of coolness to be replaced by a dangerously pissed off expression_

"_Pull that stunt one more time and I will personally see to it that you die the most horrible death, Kiryuu!" Yagari spoke in an angry low voice dragging each and every word loud and clear enough for the now still vampire underneath him._

_Zero gazed up at the angry man on top of him for a while before speaking._

"_I'm not a horse, Sensei." Zero replied slowly, as if he was trying to reassure himself more than Yagari. _

_All traces of anger faded out of Yagari as he finally understood the situation._

_Zero felt a pair of cool hands, carefully turning his head to both sides. He met the face of his Sensei, who calmly assessed him. His foggy mind registered a bright light which blinded his vision for a couple of seconds and the gruff shout of the hunter above him into his walkie-talkie. _

"_Cross, you leech loving fool! Kiryuu is in shock. He's hyperventilating and clammy. The pupils are dilated and I just saved him from a suicide mission. So if you don't want your precious son to die, come take care of him and I'll clean up this mess you have put us in."_

_Kaien Cross came running quickly, after asking Yagari the location. Stooping down next to Zero, he put on his glasses and took in the state Zero was in._

"_You're right my dear boy. My son looks a bit disorien-" Kaien started in a teary voice, dropping the serious facade he had a while ago._

"_Shut up and get him out. I'll handle this shit" Yagari muttered in an exasperated tone, making Kaien go hysterical at how-he-never-gets-any-respect-from-his-sons till Yagari stood up and walked away from the spot muttering about crazy oafs and demented students._

_**/end of flashback/**_

"Of course, the mayor knows the truth about what happened, being a senior member of the association that he is. But if it comes out of his mouth, these innocent folks will believe anything;_bless them_. Also, he will say the land has been bought by someone - that someone being yo-" Kaien kept on going pleasantly, fully aware his audience was not at listening.

Zero observed the surrounding walls which were painted a light blue, where bizarre paintings were hung up. The wall next to where they were seated in, held a painting of a teary eyed onion running after a terrified looking knife. A couple more paintings, just as strange decorated the walls of the café.

_Spill,_ surprisingly, didn't have servers who spilled food on people, much to the silver haired hunter's disappointment. The place consisted of a cheerful bunch of teenage boys and girls who charmed the clients with their words and good looks.

Attired in casual clothing with black half aprons tied around their waists, a girl and boy had greeted the two hunters in, through the glass doors of the cafe. Both of them pausing for a brief moment to take in the two new strangers into their little town, before greeting them with huge grins and a how-do-you-do's.

Zero had merely walked away without saying anything, much to Kaien's irritation, and sat himself in the corner where the elder hunter had dragged him over to.

Despite the crowd, the customers spoke in low murmur's with an occasional tinkle of laughter, filled with the soft notes of the piano played by an elderly man; the piano located in the brightly lit corner opposite Zero's. Tiny round glass tables seating four people, were scattered around the room in a tasteful orderly manner. They all seemed to know each other well, except for the two hunters; the main reason Kaien had chosen their current spot to escape unwanted attention.

His roaming eyes stopped at the little fountain, situated just in the center of the café which held a statue of a beautiful stone mermaid, perched on a rock with her right palm open towards Zero to blow him a kiss. Only, sparkling water came out of the stone lips of the mermaid.

"And for you, sir?" a soft voice drifted in to his ears, snapping back Zero from his thoughts.

_Some poison would be peachy._

He looked up at the source of the voice.

Concentrated Grey eyes were fixed on him, the owner, a lithe striking male in his late twenties. Clad in a crisp white shirt and black fitted pants, he lacked the half apron the staff wore. Thick raven black hair, razor cut mane messed up in the middle with short tidy sides and back, contrasted with his milky white skin bringing out the unnatural paleness of the young man. His face impassive, seemed to burn a hole right through Zero.

_What the hell, is the matter with this dick?_

Zero remained quiet willing the man to go bother someone else with his intense staring contest until a couple more seconds passed and he felt sure the man would not budge without an answer.

With a growl, the ex human drew back the hood of his jacket, tossing his Aviator shades onto the table. He stood up abruptly, earning a surprised squeal from the older hunter, unzipping the jacket to cool down his skin, which fervently burned with anger as he recovered from the shocked state he had been in to finally acknowledge what had happened.

_HOW DARE THEY?!_

He yanked out the pink ribbon which Kaien had tied his hair back clumsily on the way to the café, shaking back the silver tresses free of their captivity.

_HOW FUCKING DARE THEY? _

He threw the ribbon at the face of Kaien Cross, who easily caught it with quick reflexes, infuriating the hot tampered vampire further. Lilac irises, cold and distant, pinned the composed hazel eyes of Headmaster Cross in place.

Vaguely, he registered the sudden silence that had taken over _Spill._

Before he could speak, the quiet voice of Headmaster spoke out loud for everyone to hear.

"I'm sorry I missed your twentieth birthday party, son. I promise I'll make it up to you."

~~~.~~~

Zero stood still, mouth wide open and baffled at the now teary eyed Headmaster Cross. He heard a chorus of "aww's" and sighs going around.

For the first time since his outburst, he turned his head towards the commotion to meet the adoring eyes of each and every customer within the place. Looks of admiration and jealousy were being directed at him, the latter from some of the younger men. Comprehension dawned on him, glaring back halfheartedly at his _Father._

_Great! Now, because of my own stupidity...i'm the center of attention!_

With a resigned look, Zero murmured a husky _It's okay_ to the Headmaster, who jumped up joyously and hugged him, to another round of coo's and applause. Jerking out discreetly from the hold, he slumped down to his seat, promptly avoiding the amused Grey eyed man who had witnessed the proceedings personally.

Kaien shot a huge grin to the crowd and cheerfully apologized to the man who had come over to take their orders, the café once again resuming back to it's peaceful ambiance.

"Now see here, Eric-kun. Being the owner of this café, you shouldn't have personally come over to bother us! These lovely youngsters would have helped me out you kno-"Kaien was saying to the man.

_So the dick is called Eric and he is the owner of Spills?! Why come take order's personally?_

Vexed, Zero glanced back at the man whom he ignored earlier, to meet the staring silvery Grey eyes once again. The man nodded and replied to Cross's blabber but his eyes stood focused on Zero.

"Just the cafe's lunch time specialty would be fine for us. Oh! And as desert a chocolate mousse for my Zero please! He loves cho-" Cross kept going on unaware of the staring battle that had once again taken place between the two parties.

Intense Grey met Lavender orbs, an unfamiliar glint in them.

The silver-haired hunter, now dead tired from the day's events, gave a loud sigh before interrupting the Chairman.

"Don't make me regret coming here, _Eric_." Zero hissed out sharply making the chairman frown at him and stand up to lecture about proper manners in a displeased tone.

"It's alright, Headmaster. I'd rather hear _Zero,_ call me _Eric_ in that pleasant tone of his, rather than my Father.." the soft-spoken words of the enigmatic man floated into the air.

_Son of a-_

For the second time that day, Zero Kiryuu was left with his mouth wide open, lilac orbs widened in horror at the retreating slender back of the Owner of the café. Kaien, who had miraculously noticed the exchange, took his seat across Zero, glancing back and forth the two young men, a hint of smile gracing his lips.

~~~.~~~

After a delicious meal consisting of cheesy-spicy Lasagna's followed by a heavenly chocolate mousse, Zero was forced to grudgingly accept _Spill _deserved the town's famous reputation. Not only did they have the best food available, the ambiance, soothing and peaceful, distracted Zero from his jumbled mind. The staff did not bother them, most importantly the girls did not act like a giggling bunch of idiots around him, something which he was immensely grateful for.

Throughout the meal, Eric was nowhere to be seen, the meals delivered by a quiet girl with auburn hair, who came to remove the empty dishes as well. No conversation's took place between the two comrades, as they finished their lunch silently. Throughout their meal, almost everyone's lingering gazes remained on the young vampire, drinking in the unique colour of his hair and his unnaturally beautiful characteristics.

The graceful manner in which he held his utensils, the way his tongue teased the chocolate goodness on the spoon, the intoxicated way his lilac orbs rolls back, eyes closed in ecstasy with a hum of content, was closely watched by the entire crowd, the object of their fascination blissfully oblivious in those few moments. Even in the dim corner, they managed to capture the perfection of the two new stranger into their town.

Kaien Cross, unlike his adoptive son, aware of the effect Zero had on the townspeople, took out his wallet to pay the bill and move on their way before Zero created another scene. However, he stopped when his mobile phone started buzzing. Tossing the wallet over to Zero, who caught it easily, he motioned towards his phone and strode out of the café, earning his rightful share of jaw dropping from the middle-aged women inside.

The tanned vampire shrugged and stood to tie up his hair with the ribbon he had thrown at Kaien, struggling to tie a knot, unaware of the dozen or more eyes taking in his athletic frame. Facing the onion portrait ahead, he grew frustrated by each passing minute as the ribbon simply refused to obey his hands. Eye's closed, hands fumbling, his hot temper coming back to life once again, he suddenly froze as still as the statue mermaid of the fountain.

Cool fingers caressed the sides of his face, drawing back the soft silvery strands that had escaped the half made hairdo. The pink ribbon gently slipped away through the vampire's fingers, to form a loose elegant tie on his head, effectively finishing the ponytail.

A warm breath floated close to his left ear, making the vampire shiver lightly.

"You didn't regret coming here after all, Kiryuu-san." the familiar soft velvety murmur reached him.

_What the-?! _

Zero jerked out of his trance like state to turn around to face the playful eyes of the good-looking proprietor of _Spill_. Grey eye's raked over his form, pausing at his earnings and the tattoo on his neck, passing over the white cotton tee which defined his midriff, finally resting on the pair of tanned skin which the knee-length Grey pants could not hide.

Jaws tensed and irritated the man's actions, the hunter hissed out a quick reply back at him.

"Yeah. You should thank your cook more often _Eric._ After all, he just saved your ass from losing a customer."

Eric, impassive as ever, took a couple of steps back, nodding his head towards the billing counter situated near the entrance doors indicating Zero to follow him. Annoyed, the hunter piled his jacket onto one hand and followed the man to the counter, finally noticing the approving looks being passed at the recent turn of events.

_For the love of-_

Zero snapped on his sunglasses, to hide his embarrassment, remembering the fine show, the humans had glimpsed of him being _fondled_ by their beloved cafe owner.

Reaching the counter, he quickly pulled out a couple of notes which would most definitely cover the cost of their meal when Eric, who was now behind the counter declined the payment courteously.

"Please Mr. Kiryuu, Lunch is on me."

Zero looked at the notes on his hand, then back at the serene face before him.

_Well, since you so generously offered..._

The ex human shrugged putting the wallet back into his short pant pockets, raking his eyes for a final time over the little café. Everyone pretended to be busy all of a sudden, and for the first time since he came in, he smirked. Turning back to face the curious eyes of Eric, he cocked his head to a side and spoke with genuine gratitude.

"Please do pass my compliments to the chef with the magic hands."

Eric blinked a couple of times before grinning widely.

"Why thank you, _Zero._ I'm very honored." was the soft answer which was meant only for Zero's ears.

The statement thundered in his ear, despite the soft reply.

_He couldn't have! He's the owner isn't he?! _

_But there's no rule owner's can't cook in their own café, is there?_

Zero stood, mouth opening and closing like a fish, emitting the first sounds of melodic laughter from Eric.

_Idiot even laughs like a bloody aristocrat..._

Wiping the stupid expression of his face_, _Zero hissed back at the laughing human.

"...Yeah..well. Next time, keep your goddamned hands to yourself alright?! I don't like people touching me. Specially, _chefs _with dirty hands."

That stopped the laughing.

_Good._

He glared triumphantly at the man in front, whose face resolved back into a deadpanned expression. Something flashed in those silvery grey eyes.

_Hurt._

Zero eye's widened with surprise.

He was too used to seeing the same expression filter across the faces of the many people whom he associated with. People, who were the unfortunate victims of his razor-sharp tongue.

_But this man. He couldn't have possibly got hurt could he? We barely know each other to be affected by each other's words._

Eric stared at Zero, then bowed respectfully to him.

"Thank you for your visit, Mr. Kiryuu. We hope you enjoyed the stay. Have a safe and pleasant day ahead of you." the toneless farewell of Eric reached his ears.

Zero stood still, taking off his shades to take in the actions before him blankly.

His eyes snapped back from the bowed form of Eric, to the pillar behind him.

The entire pillar, painted in a deep shade of ocean blue was covered entirely in black and white photographs. Rows and rows of various sized photo's filled up the pillar, bringing a homely feel to the café. Random strangers to Zero, stood grinning at him through various frames, making his mind go dizzy from the amount of happiness radiating from all the pictures. Until, his gaze stopped at the very center picture, the largest frame out of them all.

A couple stood side by side, a beautiful landscape behind them. The man clad in a black tuxedo, his short hair stuck out in odd directions stood tall and lean. His face turned towards the woman, lovingly pecking her cheek with a roguish grin on his lips.

The woman, her straight waist length strands blew gently with the wind as she wore a long-sleeved off shouldered lace wedding gown, outlining her curvy figure, a bump visible in her midriff only to very keen eyes. Her eyes half lidded, lips supporting a shy smile looked away from her playful man towards the ground beneath her. The petals from the Cherry blossoms tree which stood behind them flew all around the newlyweds, completing the perfect wedding shot of the soon expecting couple.

There was no mistaking that remarkable smile of Nana. Ren's hair was cropped short for the wedding day, the reason Zero faltered to recognize them stood staring, an exact replica of his blue-blooded Father. The couple's image drew the most attention out of all pictures, courtesy of the Kiryuu spouse's true love radiating to the outer world.

A couple of seconds passed, and Eric's head came into his view. His grey eye's held an alien coldness in them, probably due to Zero's lack of greeting back.

Zero remained glued to the spot, unknowingly staring at the cold grey eye's. He faintly felt something wet trickle onto his cheeks, followed by another onto his other cheek. One after another, droplets of tears ran down his defined cheekbones, stopping at his chin, and finally drop onto his t-shirt.

_What am I doing?_

Silvery Grey orbs widened, taking in the scene with a sharp intake of breath. Luckily, at the same time, the old man at the piano increased his tempo, making the customer's turn their heads towards that direction to cheer on the music. No one, noticed the absurd scene taking place before them.

Finally, he turned away from the confused Grey eyes, staggering out of the café where he met the surprised eyes of Chairman Cross. He didn't know what overcame him but in seconds, he was buried in the comforting warmth of the man who had adopted him as his own years ago. No sound escaped his tightly clamped shut lips, as the tears flowed non stop, down his grief-stricken face. His body went limp, dragging both of them down onto the ground. His eyes stared out blurred, from the small space between Kaien's head and arms, towards no one in particular.

A soft whisper and he felt a magical barrier enveloping them, making them invisible to the outside world. Zero's nails dug deep onto Kaien's back, vaguely aware of the sudden hitch in the older hunter's breath.

Ten minutes passed as they sat huddled together, hidden away from the world. Both of them, lost in their own worlds of misery.

Finally the tears stopped flowing, leaving the hunter exhausted beyond the point where he could stand straight. Still frozen in the embrace of his adopted father, he heard soft footsteps behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know which idiot had decided to find them. The footsteps stopped behind Zero, making him frown through his dazed state.

_How did he see through the hunter charm?_

"I'll take care of him, Sensei. I believe you are needed at the Head Quarters." his soft-spoken words broke the silence.

Kaien Cross, aware of the state his only son was in, grimly nodded at his former pupil. After a minute, he spoke in a soothing tone to his distressed child.

"Get some rest, Zero." Chairman Cross spoke into his ears softly, before muttering the words to undo the charm, gently detaching himself from Zero.

Lilac orbs widened at the sudden lack of warmth, hands flailing to grab those retreating arms, only to meet thin air. He blinked a couple of times to face an empty garden, where the Chairman had stood seconds ago. Panicking, he stood up, swaying with fatigue, to run after the elder hunter when he felt arms trap him from behind to back to slam his back into a solid wall.

His head jerked around sideways, to look into the tense face of Eric.

_I'm being handled._

_Again._

"You can't just get enough of me, can you?" his dry sarcasm made the tensed man quickly let go of Zero. He stepped back, eyes averted, a cherry red visible on his pale cheeks. Running his fingers messing up his hair some more, he turned to face the doors of _Spill_.

"My room is just at the back. If you'd like, you can rest there..." he offered in a soft polite tone, facing away from Zero.

Zero Kiryuu observed the effect his words had on the owner of the café and reached a conclusion which left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

_Well, I'll be damned! _

Suddenly, he felt the urge to piss off the _always-composed_ man in front of him. So he said the first thing which came into his mind.

"_Are you gay, Eric?"_

Zero glared hard at the back of the crisp white shirt of the said man, eye's roaming around his figure taking in his lithe build. The man stood stock still, hands in his pockets, staring right ahead into the café. Without turning back he replied in a cold toneless voice.

"My sexual preference is of no concern to you, Mr. Kiryuu."

_Look at me._

"_Do you want to fuck me?" _Zero's hoarse voice rose into the heated air, despite the answer. The Sun shone brightly down at them, making Zero scratch his arms to get rid of the feeling. Hie eyes. though, were focused on the frozen form of Eric.

"_- or better, would you rather I screw yo-" _his vulgar words, harsh even to his own ears, were broken in mid sentence by a cold chuckle.

Finally, the quiet man turned around to face Zero. His eye's transformed into a stormy dark grey, a dangerous gleam ignited within them. He cocked his head to a side and spoke.

"Don't flatter yourself, _bloodsucker._" The cold voice tinted with a hint of annoyance drilled in through the foggy brain of the ex human, clearing out all thoughts to focus on the statement.

Moments after, he heard the beginning of a rough hollow laugh.

_Bloodsucker? He knew._

His nails dug deep into his arms, drawing blood from his excessive scratching, filling his senses with the bitter scent of his own blood.

_Bloodsucker. _

_Yes, i'm one of them._

The horrible laughter deafened his ears, making him stagger forward, willing his scratching bloodied fingers and the eerie laughter to stop.

_**Bloodsucker**_

A few more seconds to figure out the sound was coming out of his mouth, which drove him into another fit of high-pitched laughter.

_He couldn't stop laughing no matter how hard he tried. He was now a puppet being controlled by it's master._

_The world went dark, as he dropped to the ground, bracing for the painful thud his body would make when it hit the ground. Soft arms caught him around the waist, t-shirt riding high to show skin. _

_He was still laughing, when a cool pair of lips captured his own, effectively silencing the horrid noise at the back of his throat. It lasted just for a second, long enough for him to breathe in the cool minty scent of his rescuer. Pale fingers held onto his scratching hands, halting their movement. _

_Lilac orbs fought a losing battle for consciousness, trying to catch a last glimpse into the intense silver Grey pools he was now so accustomed to. _

_He lost himself in a sea of darkness, just after catching a husky whisper in the wind._

"_Yes Silver. I would very much like to make love to you."_

_~~~.~~~_

_Meanwhile..._

Pale elegant digits, idly ran back and forth the spine of the body pressed flushed against them. The body just as light-skinned as the digits that worshiped it, was undeniably feminine in every possible way. No marks marred the smooth creamy flesh, highlighting the fullness of her alluring curves in the right places. Waist length brunette strands spreads across her face and back, modestly covering her bareness.

With reluctance, the long fingers retreat back to their owner.

A pair of chocolate-brown eyes blinks open slowly, registering the sudden loss of those delightful fingers on her back. She rolls on to her right, her long strands getting mussed up some more in the process, to capture two dark pools of intense brown eyes similar to her own. Her lips part.

"Kaname?"

Kaname Kuran, took in the slightly confused eyes akin to his own, and smiles softly.

"Yuuki."

The effect was not lost on Yuuki Kuran. The silky soft voice of her betrothed sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

A tingling between her legs, proof of the hold he had on her.

Brunette locks stuck out in odd directions, creating quite the adorable look. An aquiline nose followed delectable full lips, of which the corners are lifted to reward his beloved a rare genuine smile.

Yuuki laid frozen, entranced by the aristocratic features of her lover. Her eyes drifted down, drinking in the sight they met with awe.

Kaname Kuran _was_ the epitome of a Greek-god. His wavy brunette locks messy from lying down, some of it rests on his neck. The neck, swan like long, attached itself to a slender, smooth upper body. Two creamy nipples perked up to meet the heated gaze of the young woman.

She blushed hard with all the inappropriate thoughts that ran through her mind, when she noticed Kaname, still observing her in an amused yet knowing way. Making a struggled noise in her throat, she averted her eyes from the sight, to the ocean blue canopy above her.

The Pure-blood Prince slowly moved on top of the flustered young woman who was determined, not to tear her eyes away from the canopy above her. Planting his hands firmly beside her, he gently bent down till his lips rested a few centimeters from her right ear.

"I belong _only to you_, _Yuuki_. Everything I have, is yours to take."

Kaname murmured in her ear, breathing in her tempting scent. A playful tongue poked out, licking the outer cartilage of her ear, trailing it's way down to the earlobe, lightly nipping the flesh between his teeth.

"_ohh__."_ a pleasured moan escaped Yuuki's lips.

The staring contest with the canopy above, soon lay forgotten as she met the playful eyes of Kaname. Parting the silk sheets between them, he discarded the obstacle on the carpeted floor of the master bedroom, taking in the mesmerizing sight of the flushed body beneath him.

Well endowed breasts speckled with two rosy pink nipples perked up to greet hm, his irises turning blood-red at once, from the heat that washed over him. His manhood throbbed, instantly becoming hard, earning a pleasured gasp from the Kuran sibling below him. Drinking in the curves of her hips he finally stopped his gaze on the lacy white underwear that covered her neither regions. Kaname's eyes returned back to meet blood-red that mirrored his own lust filled eyes.

Yuuki felt her own irises dilate and turn to blood-red as she met Kaname's gaze. She felt moistness pool in between her legs.

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, panting from want, she made a soft plea.

"_Kaname, Please.."_

That was all Kaname needed.

He descended onto Yuuki with inhuman speed, devouring her open lips with his own. A fervent battle of tongues and fangs took place, the kiss heating by every passing moment. Hands entangled in each other's locks, their lips parted to take a much needed gulp of air. With Yuuki panting heavily beneath him, her breasts rising up and down in a fast rhythm, Kaname raised his right hand, moving his fingers along the young woman's perspiring skin.

The pale digits crawled down, circling her belly button, finally resting on the wet garment that covered her.

His eye's were glued to Yuuki's face, observing her soft pants and half lidded blood-red eyes.

With no warning, his long index finger slipped in through the wet garment, touching her in her most intimate area. Yuuki's eyes snapped back wide open, her lips forming to a circular shape.

Satisfied, Kaname's skillful finger explored Yuuki in more depth, slowly moving in and out of her in a constant lazy rhythm, her wetness coating his finger as the perfect lubrication.

The Pure-blooded princess moaned and writhed beneath Kaname, for a moment, forgetting her shy demeanor and the world around her.

Through her lust induced mind, a feeble thought managed to grasp her attention.

_Kaname is late for his meeting!_

Gasping, she hurriedly managed to voice her thought out loud to her betrothed, only to be rewarded with the thrust of two more finger inside her.

Kaname hushed Yuuki's protests with his adept lips, continuing to move his fingers inside her in a gentle yet demanding way. In between his fierce kisses, his voice reaches her ears in a silky murmur.

"It can wait, _my sweet_."

And with that, his urgent fingers ripped off the dripping wet fabric, the distinct smell of Kuran blood and bodily fluids filled the air, as two sets of fangs sank into each other's throats, finally losing themselves in their ecstasy.

* * *

**_"Kowagatte wa ikenai…zero" - Don't be scared...zero._**

**_PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!_**

**_/hides_**

**_I just had to write that smut scene okay?!D: _**

**_I dislike Yuuki as much as many of the KxZ fans, but there is no WAY in hell, they wouldn't have done it in three years right?!:P _**

**_Also, i hope you guys liked the OC Eric. Obviously, he has developed a crush for a certain broken vampire. Let's just hope he doesn't woo him away before Kaname does. XD_**

**Reviews and Suggestions as usual please!**

**Love you all!**


	4. Signs of a rebel

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing except the plot and OC's Y_Y. All credits goes to the wonderful Matsuri Hino for her amazing piece of work.

A/N: Hey everyone :) A new chapter..yayyy! Just to remind you, this will be a _**slow moving story. And it's not going to eventually be a dark story. **_**Slight humour in the early chapters, ****because there won't be any in the later one's D:.**

AAAAAND I have some bad news... :/

I am leaving for the second year at Uni next week and we all know what that means. D: It will be difficult to adjust to a new country and people, try to make new friends [cause I suck at that], dealing with the stress of studying as well as writing fan fiction. HOWEVER, I want you to know that I'm **not ditching the fic**. It will be completed in due time, just, updating new chapters would take longer than usual. :C So, wish me luck, yeah?

**For Aido's POV, track 06 - Elegant Night Class from in the VK OST.**

**For Kaname's POV, track 15- Lingering Suspense from the VKG OST.**

**For Zero's POV, track 13 – Zero's Memory from VK OST**

**In the club Zero's POV, LoveGame – Lady Gaga, Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake**

**Warning**: Language and three sexy sons of b-

Zero: Shut it, lunatic.

Me:...okay ;.;

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Inside the Conference room of Kuran Mansion**_

_**12:30 pm**_

Hanabusa Aido sighed for the millionth time.

_Kaname-sama was late. Again!_

Pale fingers wove through wavy golden locks, messing up the carefully made hairdo. Electric blue eyes blinked to focus on amber.

Akatsuki Kain, returned back his cousin's bored stare, raising a light brown eyebrow at the blonde.

_**What do you think? **_Kain seemed to ask him.

Aido rolled his eyes at Kain, before leaning back more comfortably on the soft padded chair.

_What do YOU think, is keeping him, idiot?_

Kain looked confused for a minute before nearly falling out of his chair, managing to turn the sound that came out of his mouth into a polite cough. Short strawberry blonde locks hid his right eye, as the embarrassed man averted his gaze from the grinning blonde across him.

_Finally caught on eh, cousin._

Kain Akatsuki, had not changed at all in these past three years. At 6ft 2, he was easily the tallest vampire among those present. With a muscular build and light olive skin unlike all other aristocrats, he had kept up the man-of-few words attitude. His wavy hair remained the same length; short on the front and slightly longer at the back. Dressed in black slacks a cherry-red shirt, the top two buttons open to reveal tanned flesh, he portrayed the _"wild senpai"_ image too well.

With his cousin's attention gone, Aido huffed and began to observe the others present in the room.

To Kain's right, sat the most friendly, _human-loving_ vampire's you'll ever meet.

Blonde hair two shades lighter than his own, neatly framed his face giving off a childlike innocence at the same time, enhancing his captivating features. A pair of bright forest green's moved back and forth between the clock on the wall and the delicious looking pastries situated on the table. Dressed impressively in a black suit, he looked as if he had already attended a meeting earlier in the day, before this one. Sensing the attentive eye's on him, Takuma Ichijo, looked up to flash a genuine smile at the blue eyed blonde.

Giving a slight nod, Aido turned to look the person on Kain's left.

Ruka Souen, beautiful and elegant as ever was looking back at him. Her light brown eye's held an iciness to them, as she stared at her cousin. Pale brown waves were bunched up in a messy bun on top of her head, a few wisps escaping the tight up-do. Showing off her creamy white skin, clothed in a sleeveless maroon dress outlining her sensual figure which stopped at the knees. Seated next to her fiance', she looked the exact opposite of his _wild_ looking cousin.

Even so, he was forced to admit the two looked remarkably good together. In the near future, probably produce little wild looking stuck up spawns of their own.

_Dunno what the frigid bitch is mad at me for, now_.

Glaring at her, he poked out his tongue in a playful manner. Ruka tucked behind a few strands of her hair, in the process giving him the finger.

Aido's mouth opened wide in shock, at the unladylike gesture from his cousin. A stifled sound, and his blue eye's met the smirking face of Kain, who was clearly enjoying getting back at the blonde for his previous embarrassment.

_Wonderful! Akatsuki is ganging up on me with the uptight bitch. _

Glaring at the smirking couple, he sniffed, turning to rest his cool gaze on the final two noble's in the room.

To his left and facing Ichijo, sat Senri Shiki clad in nothing but a thin white towel around his waist. Sitting legs crossed on the chair, Aido was glad to notice the towel covered the important bits from everyone. Mahogany hair, dewy from the recent shower he must have taken, was turning into wavy locks.

When Ruka had glared and asked before anyone else could, what was he thinking coming in front of their Master in such a disgraceful manner, he had assessed Ruka through lightly tinted blue eyes and shrugged with a I-came-as-soon-as-i-was-informed. Not liking the response, she had pointed out that Shiki's mansion stood just a couple of minutes away, and he could have at least donned a robe on before coming here, to which Shiki blankly looked at her before sitting himself down. No one bothered him again.

The head of Aido Clan, shook his head in amazement before turning to his right to take in the last noble present.

Rima Toya sat straight in her seat, avoiding everyone. Her once Light-Orange hair was now dyed into a dark ebony black, cropped up to her shoulders. Her pale milky skin contrasted with the dark dye of her hair, bringing out her cerulean blue eyes. Gone was the doll like look of the B level vampire. Instead, a seductive young woman sat before them. A midnight blue silk gown adorned her, looking every bit of the most sought after model that she was.

Occasionally, Ruka would scrutinize the female in front of her, to which the other ignored. The only time a hint of a smile graced Rima's lips was at her close acquaintance, Shiki's entrance. Otherwise, her eye's remained distant and lost.

Sighing for the hundredth time, he was just about to play a new prank on Kain when he felt the familiar powerful presence of the Pureblood outside the room. All aristocrats present, noticed this as well, since they stood up abruptly to greet their Leader. Aido stood up as well, finally relieved that Yuuki had decided to halt their _activities_ until after the stupid meeting is done with. He, along with the other's sank into a respectable bow as the silver door handle turned.

~~~.~~~

Burgundy brown eye's scanned the room to take in the occupants. Everyone remained in their half bent positions and murmured a chorus of polite "Kaname-sama's."

_Good day to you too, children._

Kaname Kuran, freshly showered and attired in the finest silk one can only hope to own, strolled inside the room at a leisurely pace. Soft footsteps echoed on the ancient wooden floor beneath, making the sound twice louder in the pin drop silence of the room. He walked passed the nobles, aware of Ruka discreetly inhaling in his scent of Yuuki and cocoa butter, as he reached the luxurious leather seat at the end of the long glass table.

Reaching his seat, Kaname took in the bowed forms of his most loyal followers before greeting them back with a respected "Nobles."

Dressed in a dark brown silk shirt and loose black pants, he lowered himself onto the seat, crossing his legs in a relaxed manner. The other's, followed their leader and settled themselves back.

Ichijo grasped a strawberry flavoured donut from the plate infront, popping it into his mouth to make a delighted gasp as the finely baked dough went down his throat. Ruka scowled at him for taking a bite before their Leader, which made Ichijo smile apologetically back at Kaname.

Kaname Kuran generously offered his own share of chocolate cake to Ichijo, who excitedly took it to with a grateful "thanks" to get lost in the delicious treats created by Seiren. His brown-red eye's took the scene in fondness.

_Takuma can be too precious sometimes. _

He then settled his gaze on the semi nude form of Shiki to his right with an impassive face.

_What in the world?_

"You look quite fetching, cousin." his voice, velvety smooth flowed into the silence around them.

Shiki, who looked quite at peace in his thin towel, adopted a concentrated look on his face before answering with a sudden grin.

"Right back at cha!"

The atmosphere changed at once. Ruka, grew red as a tomato as she glared menacingly at Shiki for his disrespect. Aido too, distanced himself away from the suicidal male model whereas Ichijo merely chuckled at the cheeky answer.

Kaname stared at his grinning cousin before shaking his head and settling himself more comfortably in the voluptuous armchair. Cradling his chin with his pale fingers, he smirked at Shiki, a gesture so uncommon to everyone except Ichijo, making all the vampire's surprised at the playful banter between the two distant cousins.

"I am honoured, Senri." was his only reply to the scandalously dressed vampire.

Roaming his eye's around to take in the state of all the noble's present, they finally rested on the only vampire who wasn't paying attention to him.

Rima, sat the farthest away from him. Avoiding his piercing stare, she observed the food before her. Being the Pureblood that he is, Kaname sensed her discomfort all too well from his seat.

_Still not forgiven me, Rima? _

Right on cue, her unique blue eye's snapped up to meet his own, an emptiness present within them. The black texture and short hairstyle made Kaname frown inside, missing her trademark orange-red hair and pigtails. Her changed appearance was the first indication, that the once candy obsessed youngest night class student no longer existed.

She died a year ago, when he had snapped the neck of her human lover in front of her very own eyes. Eye's which had held a hatred for him that night. Hatred filled with a deep resignation. As if her life would never be the same ever again. The same eye's went back to watching the food, leaving Kaname with an uneasy feeling in his gut.

_It had to be done, Rima. He was going to be the end of you. Filling your head with nonsense...He had to go._

His playful demeanor dropped as he met the questioning gaze of Ichijo, who had noticed the exchange with worried eye's. Ignoring the look, he inquired regarding the urgent matter which Ichijo wanted to discuss.

"What was so urgent it couldn't wait for the evening, Takuma?" he spoke softly, emphasizing on the time as it was unusual for a normal vampire to be up and about in daylight. Everyone glued their eye's to Ichijo, clearly agreeing with their Leader to spill out the urgent matter before them, to be finally done with it and go back to the sanctuary of their homes.

A couple of seconds passed in silence, as the other's became restless from Ichijo's lack of response. Kain's and Ruka's intrigued gazes rested on the tense form of Ichijo, as Aido tried to wreck his brain to find out the reason for the meeting. Rima looked nonchalant and Shiki was looking anywhere except at Ichijo.

_Wait. What?_

The head of Kuran Clan, raised a slender brow with the sudden realisation. He had seen Ichijo sneaking past the grounds at witching hour a couple of times last week through his personal chamber's.

_Well well well. This is an interesting turn of events. _

Kaname's smirk returned back in full force, turning to stare knowingly at his closest friend, who looked worried by each passing minute. With a loud sigh, Ichijo finally spoke out the words that would bring eternal damnation to the entire vampire race.

"_The new __President of the Vampire Hunter's Association is Zero Kiryuu of the Kiryuu Clan."_

~~~.~~~

Lavender eye's snapped open, sensing the foreign environment and vaguely familiar presence next to him. His vision indicated he was lying on his stomach. The bluish sky speckled with a florescent orange was visible from the open balcony doors, suggested the setting sun.

The presence next to him shifted, a new weight settling themselves on his silk covered thighs. The hunter's eye's shut lazily, as the events of the day came crashing back into mind. He recalled everything up untill he passed out, and nothing beyond that point.

_The million dollar question is, how the hell did I end up in bed with him in this state?_

The very first breeze of the promising evening, drifted in through the open doors, lulling him into a peaceful state.

"Do you always think this loud, Kiryuu-san?" a voice husky from sleep murmured into his ear. A second or two passed when Zero managed to murmur out a response before succumbing back into his deep sleep.

"Do you always sprawl across naked guests, Eric?"

The weight on his legs vanished instantly, leaving Zero and his companion, once again, to drift back to their deep slumber.

~~~.~~~

Dead Silence met the statement. Everyone present, remained iced to their seats. Shocked eye's glued the face of their Leader, as they themselves digested the news.

The Kuran Prince remained still, staring back at the tensed face of his faithful friend, trying to find a trace of humour behind the words. The longer he stared, the bigger the concern grow in the deep forest green's.

_He wasn't kidding. _

The trademark silver hair and scowl of the ex-prefect floated across his mind, other memories tagging along of his most hated vampire/vampire hunter. It had been three years since he had last glimpsed the remaining Kiryuu twin, before gladly driving away with Yuuki to somewhere the level D could not follow. And now this?! When he finally thought he had gotten rid of the pestering vampire from yuuki's life, once again, he comes back.

_Still..it's hard to believe Kiryuu would want the position on his own will...much less have his name nominated for the elections._

The Pureblood, ignored the sudden argument breaking in between the nobles, which Ichijo was trying his best to quieten down.

_How could **they,** have it happen?!_

Kaname, himself had personally visited the detested Head Quarter's to keep up appearances as well as to ensure something even remotely close to this does not happen.

The brunette shuddered, as he thought about the number of interactions he had to go through with the smug hunters, enduring hours of maintaining his neutral facade, when all he wanted was to rip each and everyone of the leering perverts to pieces. He had caught every single thought of their twisted little fantasies ending with him finally breaking under them, when Ichijo had offered to handle the meetings with a disturbed face, urging the Pureblood to leave the premises as soon as possible. No wonder, he had that look on his face.

_All that bribing and money gone to waste!_

Aido was now shrieking like a petulant child, spewing vulgarities at the level D which made the others flinch. Ruka too, participated with Aido to voice out her protests, minus the profanities. Kain remained silent, his large hand moving to lay on top of Ruka's thighs to comfort her. Shiki observed his once closest friend Rima, through the gap left by Aido, who was now standing on his feet in his anger. Ichijo tried to calm down the agitated vampires and bring them back to their senses, when their Leader made himself known through the disrupt.

"I suggest you go make fools of yourselves somewhere other than in front of my face." his soft spoken voice broke through the nobles, bringing Aido and Ruka back into reality.

Both of them, stood with open mouth before bowing down to him in shame, muttering a respected chorus of _Forgive me, Kaname-sama_'s.

Brown-red eye's flickered from their bowed forms to Rima, who had not looked ruffled from the news at all. Crimson lips faintly stretched into a small smile, almost as if the news gave her some sort of pleasure unlike her other comrades. Just as quick, the smile vanished but his keen eye's had captured it all too well.

Doubt.

Kaname Kuran was alien to this particular state. Never, in the past, had he any reason to believe his actions, his choices were wrong.

He was a Pureblood and he was always right. His most faithful trustee's had ensured it stayed that way. They dared not question him and he, in return did not doubt their loyalty to him.

Then why now? Why did that small gesture affect him in this manner?

It could have been anything, he knew. She might have smiled at her fellow noble's red faces or to some comical event that crossed her mind. He might be reading more into it than he thought. There were so many possibilities.

So why couldn't he ignore the foreign feeling making him feel uneasy by each passing minute.

Only, deep down he knew.

He knew, this went beyond so much more than recalling an amusing event of the past. He also had a feeling Kiryuu's Presidency and Rima's behaviour went way back than he could have ever imagined.

_The first sign of a rebel._

Yes. Doubts were bad. And so was Kaname Kuran at dealing with them. A deep thirst for sudden solitude overcame him, resulting in dismissing the meeting with an abrupt order to the only person he could truly trust.

"You know what to do, Takuma."

~~~.~~~

"-nkyou for looking after him, Eric-san. I hope he didn't bother you too much?" an annoying cheery voice drifted into his ears.

"Not at all, Sensei. Kiryuu-san is the _heaviest _sleeper I ever know." an all too familiar soft voice replied to the other.

"Oh! Is that so? My son looks so much cuter when he's not scowling no?!If only he looked like this even when awa-" the cheery voice of Chairman Cross was interrupted.

"Fine. I'm awake. Now shut it." a voice groggy from sleep snapped back in an irritated tone. Both Eric and Kaien stilled, long aware of the awake hunter on the bed.

Zero felt the silk ripple underneath his bare skin as he turned around to blink sleepily back at the two people seated on a worn out couch a couple of steps away from the bed he was on. He heard Kaien's childish squeal "Kawaiiii!" and a soft chuckle from Eric while he took in his surrounding.

_This must the room he told me about, at the back of Spill. _

Lilac eye's moved towards the open double doors of the balcony on his right, taking in the white laced curtains swishing back and forth with the gentle wind. The King sized bed he was currently on was covered in white silk sheets, all of which was tangled in his legs, covering from his hips below.

To the left, stood an old sofa where the other two occupants sat; two doors standing side by side to their left. The walls inside the room were painted a creamy peach, while beautiful portraits of landscapes hung about them. A large television was fixed on the wall in front of him, under which a lot other electronic equipments were neatly arranged on a rack.

Enjoying the wind, his sleep fogged mind registered the chilly air on his bare chest, making him stretch like a cat, uttering a delighted noise.

_Oh Man! I haven't felt this refreshed in a very long time._

Zero jerked back in alarm, as he felt sudden watchful eye's on him before relaxing. The ceiling on top was spotless white.

_I swear the human has nothing better to do._

Feeling slightly uncomfortable at his nakedness for the first time, he discreetly shifted to make sure the sheets covered his upper body to a certain extent. A minute or two passed in silence, as his lethargic brain caught up with the events of the day and got ready to get some answers.

"The drug you slipped into the water bottle I bought from the store last night..was that the reason why my senses were dull today?"he asked in a husky voice feeling the burning stare shift from his person.

"Well done, child." was the answer he got as Kaien flipped open his cellphone and dialled someone.

"Toga, pay up. Zero found out." the cheerful voice of Kaien spoke into the device, emitting a colourful string of curses from his former Sensei, every word which made all the way to his ear's.

Kaien cut the call as he continued speaking to Zero, in a serious tone.

"It was easy to slip in twenty bottles filled with our newly formed drugs to dull vampire senses. It helped the fact that only few hunters knew ways to recognize the drug mixed with anything. The drug does not harm humans. It also explains why you couldn't sense us surrounding the Mansion." he spoke in a low voice.

_A drug powerful enough to wipe the aura of other vampires and hunters to the drinker?_

_The ultimate killing weapon designed for the specially twisted within the Head Quarters, eh?_

Zero comprehended all this while staring up at the ceiling, disgust welling up inside him as the thoughts swirled across his mind. He felt used and dirty, much like a lab rat. He bet a million yen, this was designed keeping his name in mind and would bet another million he was the first vampire they had tested it on.

Hunter's using it on their so called President? It was laughable really.

It made him easily vulnerable to all those people who wanted him dead. He was positive, this won't be the only time the hunters would use it against him. If Zero was not careful, he might soon end up tied to one of those twisted hunter's torture tables being done god knows what to him.

Making up his mind, he got up from the bed while knotting the sheets tightly around his midriff. His feet touched white cold tiles below, as he lazily walked towards the two doors located ahead; one red and the other blue.

The quiet owner of the room offered his help with a gentle murmur to the hunter.

"Bathroom's the red one."

The silver haired hunter stopped in front of the red door.

Turning the knob, his eyes greeted a smaller room than the bedroom. The room walls were painted a light blue, whilst an ocean blue round bathtub ideal for two, sat to his left. A small shower space was located just on the opposite of it, a toilet couple of steps to his right. Lilac eye's raked over the marble counter ahead of him and met his reflection on the long horizontal mirror on the wall on top of the counter.

It was tastefully decorated, he would give Eric that. Just the way he liked it. The thought making him frown.

_Shut up and clean yourself up, President._

Moving to stand next to the counter, the mirror reflected back his messy strands and sleepy eye's. The tattoo on his neck stood out more than ever as the bright white light on the side walls, illuminated his tanned body. Lilac eye's stared back into his reflection as he spoke to Kaien, who stood leaning against the door frame.

"How long have you people been following me? As far as I know, I have been pretty good at covering my tracks." his voice monotonously asked the Headmaster.

"Two months back, we caught your scent on one of the newly recruited female hunters, who came back from France one night. We discovered the reason after examining her and she herself confessed to not properly cleaning herself up after your lovemaking session. From her talk, she had no idea who you were and thought you human, explaining the session in full detail, happily declaring you as her ultimate soul mate and sex go-" the elder man started to reply.

"ALRIGHT!" The hunter shouted out loud, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

_What the hell? Who doesn't clean up after...wait...does that mean...my bodily fluid was still on her?!_

In the mirror, his horrified gaze met the serious face of his father figure.

_URGH, GROSS! _

_NEXT TIME, TAKE A THOROUGH BACKGROUND CHECK BEFORE SLEEPING WITH THEM!_

"-After that, it was easy. Our french base caught up your whereabouts and reported to us. The election was kept secret from you, of course I should have known it wasn't necessary, for you were not planning to return or to involve yourself in any thing related to our kind." The old man continued in a soft tone, an inkling of hurt clear in his voice.

Zero ignored this, still cringing to the previous bit of information. Long fingers fumbled with the knot of the fabric covering him, finally loosening them to drop the material around his ankles.

He gazed at himself in the mirror briefly, before walking across to reach the bathtub. Switching on both the hot and the cold water taps, he looked at the bottles neatly arranged on the tiny counter next to the tub. Making sure to avoid the minty gel, he took the apple scented shower gel, pouring a generous amount into the filling tub.

At ease in all his nakedness in front of the elder man, he leaped into the deep tub, sinking into mild hot water. Inhaling the fruity scent, his whole body disappeared under the comfortable water to wet his long hair before surfacing up. Blinking his eye's open he spoke in a soft voice at the ex president.

"You didn't need to send Eric over to the woods to watch me shower, you know."

His enhanced hearing picked up a startled coughing outside, as Kaien Cross looked annoyed at his adopted son and replied in a displeased tone.

"Manners please, Zero-kun! Stop accusing Eric of things he doesn't do. He's a loyal and good student of mine and does not associate with any hunter activity, His cousins are hunters, hence the reason he knows about you and us. As for sending anyone over to watch you, everyone stayed clear of the stream as ordered by me."

Zero stared back at the displeased expression on Kaien's face before vanishing back under water, once again, holding his breath.

_I should commit suicide right about no-_

"There's an anti-drowning charm on the tub, son." the muffled voice of Kaien reached his ears followed by a soft click indicating the exit of the old man. His eye's opened wide, as he was thrust up onto the surface by an imaginary force, while gasping and spluttering water in the process.

Kaien said something to the raven haired man outside, which followed a soft tinkling laughter leaving behind a spluttering Zero, alone to his confused musings about the Grey eyed intruder in the woods.

~~~.~~~

The young man clad in complete black sat on a stool next to the counter. His content eye's raking across the occupants inside, enjoying the beat of the groovy music playing in the background. The room was in complete darkness except for the occasional disco lights flickering in and out onto the dancing crowd within.

_Spill_, the cozy little cafe had turned into an impressive nightspot by late evening. The party atmosphere was filled with teenagers and adults below approximately thirty years. The old people whom he had seen in the afternoon were no where in sight, replaced by the town's younger generation. He didn't know how the staff did it, but the little room looked spacious without the round tables and chairs. The water shooting from the stone mermaid's lips turned different colours as it stood alone at the center with a protective glass cage around it.

Why he was enjoying this sort of atmosphere was way beyond his comprehension. Maybe it had something to do with the little amount of time left to enjoy his freedom or the fact that it had been too long since he had ditched the addictive nightclub's to focus on the one goal that would ultimately make his life worthy of existence.

And he had been close too. To finding out the final piece of information which would help him reach the heart racing outcome.

No one must know about it. Not hunters, not vampires or the Chairman. It was the deepest secret he had locked along with the unwanted memories inside a deep corner of his mind.

The task would have to wait for now. At least, until a month, till the spotlight fades from him to a normal level. _Then_, he will be free to continue on with his mission, without too much surveillance.

Inhaling the air mixed with the unique blend of human scents, he turned around on his stool to face the quiet girl behind the counter. She was the same girl who had served him in the afternoon. Her hair red as ever, she busily prepared the drinks for whoever ordered in less than three minutes, displaying her excellent serving skills.

_No wonder, Eric's keeping her._

Ever since he had sat on the stool fifteen minutes ago, she hadn't uttered a single word. Merely, delivering the orders quick and efficient. Maybe it was only him, but the people around didn't seem to be bothered by her lack of words. They gratefully clutched their drinks and went into the moving mass of people behind.

"An orange juice, please." his silky drawl drew the eye's of the people gathered near the counter. No one seemed to have mussed up the courage to get closer to the good looking stranger, maintaining a safe distance from him. The girls nearby seemed to have lost their sense of direction as they stared ravenously at the man who looked straight out of a mystery novel. Most of the men who were with the girls too, seemed to have forgotten their dates as they themselves undressed the young man in black through greedy eyes.

Tonight, Zero Kiryuu had gained more spectators than in the afternoon. He wore a black beanie, covering most of his hair except for the few shorter strands of his bangs sideways and few long one's on his back. His loose black shirt laid untucked, with the first two buttons open to reveal explicit collarbones and a glimpse to the tanned promising chest. The rolled up sleeves too, displayed his smooth skin. Tight fitted black pants and shiny boots along with the tattoo and earrings in full view to the audience completed his "delinquent" look.

The vampire ignored all the staring, observing the quiet girl busying herself with his order. Lilac eye's lazily flickered across the long counter behind which the other females were working. A tall figure amongst the servers met his vision, as the person greeted the clubbing youngsters across the counter, praising the servers for their hard work. The girls blushed a deep red and murmured a chorus of thanks to their employer. The youngsters across shot jealous looks at the servers from their position.

Something about the scene annoyed him more than it should have. A pair of dark brown eye's of a certain vampire along with his faithful dogs and fans entered his mind. Zero shifted his gaze from the popular man to the freshly made glass of orange juice in front of him.

_The smug leech must have got the news by now._

And suddenly, the hunter grinned. He wasn't pleased with the recent turn of events but now there was a certain appeal in his current situation. He could barely hold his glee, hidden behind the cool facade, as he imagined the faces of the nobles, relishing the reaction the news would bring to one of his most hated enemy existing.

_Kaname fucking Kuran. How I wish, I could see your ugly mug right now._

Still smirking at his current series of thoughts, he smelled the drink for any drugs before enjoyed the sour-sweet taste of the orange liquid down his throat.

"They simply can't get enough of you, Kiryuu-san." a soft voice distracted his wandering mind.

Eric Yagami – someone had called him by last name - the mixed ethnic man's messy hairdo looked blue black under the dim lights of the tiny bar counter. Gone was the official attire he had worn in the day, to be replaced by a fitted Grey t-shirt, bringing out the intense silvery grey of his eye's and the slender built of the man. The pale neck and hairless arms drew the hunter's eye's to them, appreciating grudgingly the fine elegance displayed before him. Faded denims hugged his hips, snugly embracing the long slim legs. He fit right along with the youngsters, despite his age.

Zero observed all this through half lidded eye's as he sucked on the straw of his drink.

He agreed fully with Eric's statement.

The townspeople could not get enough of him. Around the club, he caught glimpses of conversations, all trying to find out as much information on him as possible. One conversation caught him by surprise eye's widening to snap up to meet the cool grey's of Eric.

_Girl: OH MY GOOOOD! YOU GUYS! SHUT UP ABOUT WHICH POSITION YOU'D LIKE HIM IN! I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE SHOULD BE!_

_Naked and rolling in silk, PINNED UNDER OUR VERY OWN YAGAMI-SAN!_

_/a loud cheer as more people joined in/_

_Girl 2: 6000 yen on gorgeous black shirt being the uke._

_Girl 3: 8000 yen on Yagami-san being the uke._

_Guy: 10,000 yen on them taking turns._

_Girl 2: Woah! They'll do it more than once?_

_Guy : Of course they will, don't be silly._

_Guy 2: You all are stupid. I bet a 12,000 yen he'll not sleep with any man. Have you even looked at him? He doesn't look like he enjoys a dick up his arse. He probably loves em boobs and a wet tight pus-_

Zero choked on his drink, quickly feigning it into a cough. His cheeks reddened as his gaze averted from the questioning look directed at him.

_What on earth?!They are betting on my sex life now?!_

He took quick gulps of his drink to quickly finish it and get out of here when Eric spoke to him again.

"You don't drink then?" his soft voice floated to Zero, who inwardly sighed with relief.

_I forget he's human sometimes. He couldn't possibly have heard the obscene discussion from that far.._

Flicking the silky tresses to a side, he nodded and decided for once, to be civil to the person who had graciously offered him temporary residence in his home.

" Blood is a much better knockout that alcohol." Zero replied in a quiet tone, meeting Eric's calm gaze.

The man stared back at Zero fixing him to the spot before slowly moving closer towards him. Minty goodness mixed with the smell of coffee invaded his senses. Pale digits closed on the tanned fingers circling the now empty glass, softly gripping the hunter's withdrawing fingers in place. Zero's eyes switched back down to the pale digits then back at the close intense silver grey orbs, willing his mind to move away from the spot before the fan club saw what was taking place. Lost in the depth of those familiar eyes, he barely caught the husky whisper before the sudden loss of cool fingers along with the glass registered his mind.

" _You are more than welcome to take mine."_

Eric Yagami, the owner of the successful cafe walked away to chat with his friends who had come over to greet him. Women mostly, seemed to nearly jump over the counter to meet to give him a hug or shake his hand, as long as they could touch the perfect human being before them.

Zero sat glued to the stool, shock evident on his face as the statement sunk in. It wasn't the fact that he had been offered blood by a human that had bothered him. Nor was it that Eric Yagami, someone belonging to a family of hunter's had offered it to him.

No. It was more than that.

Bits and pieces of the lewd conversation he had heard minutes ago engulfed him, mixing with the husky soft whisper from the person responsible for his confused state. Even after hearing such dirty opinions, the hunter hadn't even once felt disgusted at the idea.

True. He felt uncomfortable enough with these drunks betting on his sex life openly within his hearing range, add to that the way he had acted before collapsing to infuriate the annoying calm man. A couple of hours ago, he had apologized personally to Eric for speaking in such language; something which the he dismissed with a shake of his hand. Back then, he thought he had read more into the man's actions than he should have intended.

Only, once again, he felt the hidden meaning behind the invitation he had just been offered.

_Trust and something more?_

The latter part he would rather not dwell about in this state.

_You didn't have any trouble using other men and women who offered themselves to you. So why feel guilty now?_ A traitorous voice whispered in his head, causing him to gulp a few times before abruptly standing up.

_To hell with all of this. I'm out of here._

Taking out his wallet, he slammed down a couple of notes on the counter without meeting the dozen or so eye's watching him, before pocketing his wallet and walking towards the exit doors. He slithered into the crowds, expertly making his way through the mass of dancers trying to avoid any more attention on him tonight. A thin girl in black tanks and a mini skirt, winked at him while dancing with her partner.

Rolling his eye's, he moved carefully, trying to avoid rubbing against any unnecessary parts when a pair of hands wrapped around him bringing his back crashing onto a lithe body. Through the material of his thin shirt, he felt a feminine body press against him, wantonly humping her pelvis into his lower back along with the beat of the music.

_Not tonight, sweetheart._

Annoyed at the excessive touching going on, he turned around to glare at the unfortunate girl when a deep male voice reached his ears from behind.

"Looking celestial as ever, my Lord. Please do forgive Hitomi if she cannot control herself..." the voice spoke in his ear, a sudden soft wetness lapping at the earring on top of his left ear cartilage, before sharp teeth gently bit onto the tender flesh.

_Holy shit!_

Silver orbs drifted shut, lips parted in delight as the expert mix of tongues, lips and teeth explored his pleasure spots all the way across from his ear to the tattoo on the left side of his neck. Warm fingers circled his waist from behind, bringing the hunter flush against the wide body behind him, emitting a frustrated growl from the female ahead.

Through clenched eye's he registered the brief look he had gotten of Hitomi. Dark brown eye's heavily made up in makeup along with the rest of her face, had looked at him with raw desire right then. She supported a dirty blonde shoulder length loose fishtail braid, dressed in nothing but a crimson red tube top exposing her taut abdomen and belly ring. Black tights and sharp heels followed, her aura radiating power and lust.

The hunter reached out his senses to check if anyone was looking at their direction. Satisfied with the result, his long fingers moved to lay atop the firm hands around his pant clad hips. Sharp nails dug into the tender human skin beneath, hands vanishing from his person instantly with loud swearing drowned out by the blasting music.

Lilac eye's snapped open lazily, displaying an icy coldness assessing the slow anxiety creeping into the dark brown eye's of Hitomi. He stared into her soul sensing the sudden shift in her lust filled state to rising fear, sending shivers of delight through him. The man behind quickly moved to stay next to his frightened lover, hazel eye's staring murderously at the impassive vampire before them.

The man went by the name Hatori and supported the same skin tone as his lover along with short platinum blonde hair with long sharp bangs swept to a side. Decked in a red leather jacket and black jeans he complimented Hitomi.

For a couple of seconds the three of them stared at each other before the hunter's lips rose up to smirk playfully.

"Threesome for the ultimate news, a dance for important info, a touch for half of it, death for false information. Deal?" he drawled out in a mocking tone at the tensed humans before him.

The couple's stare turned bewildered, slowly resolving to amusement and respect before bowing slightly to their Leader.

"Kiryuu-sama, we have got information that the old woman you are looking for lives an hour away from the Head Quarter's in Tokyo. We don't have a proper name nor an address. She goes by the name _**X**__**.**_" the excited squeal of Hitomi reached his ear's.

Hatori moved towards the still hunter, lightly tracing his scratched fingers on the hunter's soft lips

"So, how about that touch, Kiryuu-sama?"

Zero Kiryuu observed the aroused eye's of his subordinates before cocking his head to a side. One step back, then another and he stood a safe distance away from the humans. Smoothly he turned around to walk towards the exit doors, this time effectively slipping in through the sweaty crowd, leaving behind the frustrated and aroused couple inside the dark club.

_A touch? You have got to be kidding me. Wasn't it enough to let you grope me for a piece of news I already knew?! _

_Good for nothing useless bunch of whores. Now I have got to replace my puppets once again!_

Shuddering in disgust, he strolled towards the exit, ignoring his parent's portrait hung on the wall behind the billing counter. Finally breaking out of the hot little place, he breathed in the fresh air tinted with the smell of grass and freshly baked buns.

_Wait! Who could possibly be baking at 11 PM?!_

Narrowed eye's moved over the closed shops and dark alleyways around _Spill_, reaching out to locate the source of the smell. Nothing except darkness lay around the town-center, neatly arranged small buildings bathed in the faint light of the white crescent, seated like a Sovereign in the starless night sky above. He couldn't pinpoint the exact location the smell came from, just that it was there most certainly.

"So Chairman, where to next?" he asked out loud in a bored tone.

A figure concealed within the shadows of the night, stepped out into the moonlight to meet his adopted son. Dressed in a violet long coat with straw coloured hair tied back, his hazel eye's twinkled happily.

"To _Tulio's_ for your makeover, of course!"

* * *

So?!How was it?! Reviews and Suggestions please!:)

Many thanks to LULU for pointing out the yen and dollar rate thing D: In my head the figures had at least one more zero ;.;. Now it's fixed!

_Just in case you were wondering, Eric looks a lot like the gorgeous french male model Gaspard Ulliel with Orlando Bloom's messy mullet hair, pale skin and grey eye's _

_*** O * (Eric is half japanese and french :P] **Should I include a POV of him as well so that you guys know more about him? Obviously, he's here to stay for a while :P_

_As for Zero, he looks like Ichiru with the long hair but his delightful gorgeous body looks amazingly close to that of Korean pop star Lee Min ho. /drools and faints_

Also, it took me three chapters to realize, I have never responded to any one of my followers reviews D:. In my head, I had answered all of you buuuuut...lol, i'm stupid that way soo...here's my review appreciating time starting from chapter 3 onward!

**Gravity's Child**: Ohgod! I nearly jizzed on the spot at the thought of a threesome between those three. But... Kaname's a possessive little bitch ;.; what if he isn't willing to share? Not entirely ruling out this idea though * O * Thank you for your review's, love! How did you get that pen name?!It looks captivating for some reason *_*.

**Cielheart Ie'chan: **I had so much fun reading your comment XD Specially the "Ewwww" part! Lol.. I think most of the KXZ fandom hates Yuuki. Even I hate her. I mean it's not her fault she's all annoying and strings both of their hearts along like a whore. It's just how Matsuri Hino made her :P Or maybe even she secretly ship like us...jdeusjfvbsdiufhkdbshgfvksdub hyg

God that would be something! Regarding Eric remaining best friend...i think the poor dude's far too gone for that eh? Or maybe not. Guess we have to find out ;) And about Yuuki heartbreaking, I think in almost all the fics i've read yuuki get heartbroken...maybe i'll make it a little different? /highfive

**ben4kevin: **I'd like to see some action in those too, just to see how Kaname takes it $_$


End file.
